Tracey Seslen, a professor of finance at USC's Marshall School of Business, said although she does not approve of Conquest's apparent business practices, the rent hike is well within the housing company's legal rights.
"Student housing is different in terms of how it's perceived from a risk standpoint," Seslen said. "If the company feels like there is a lot of wear and tear on the property or if they don't feel like students can follow through on rent, they can compensate themselves for that. As an economist, I can see a definite rationale. But that doesn't mean I don't sympathize with the students."